The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to friendly scrimmages with California-based teams during their time in Oxnard during training camp. Last year it was with the Los Angeles Rams; exercises which resulted in a fracas or two, spearheaded by the recently departed Connor Williams finishing through the whistle against the formidable Aaron Donald.
This year, however, there’s two twists on the old tale: it will happen twice. First against the Denver Broncos on August 11 and then again when they leave their usual stomping grounds and head to Costa Mesa to do battle with the Los Angeles Chargers in mid-August.
Chargers will host Cowboys for joint practices on Aug. 17 and 18 in Costa Mesa, Calif., source said. Cowboys’ field trip from Oxnard precedes teams’ Aug. 20 preseason game at SoFi Stadium. Cowboys will first hold a joint practice at Broncos on Aug. 11, as @JoriEpstein reported.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 18, 2022
The Broncos will bring one friendly face with them out west in the form of Randy Gregory who spent five seasons (out of seven possible) donning the blue and silver. The 2022 free agent’s change of heart left the fan base and front office in disbelief when he and his agent made the move to Denver.
The Chargers and Cowboys will go head-to-head three out of four days just one week later. There will be two practice sessions followed by their preseason tilt on August 20 at SoFi Stadium. If last year’s behavior in just one day of practice is any indication, Dallas will need to buckle their chinstraps tightly for what’s to come.
Training camp breeds resentment. Players tire of running into the same people over and over. It’s hot. So when a different foe shows up it’s time for them to release their aggression on an opponent who deserves no coddling. With the two teams facing off on consecutive days, it could get ugly.
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